A clinic in Switzerland has opened a rehabilitation center for those with digital addiction on TikTok. The centre is located in Thun, a town in the commune (or canton) of Bern, in the centre of the country. The Meiringen clinic is sought after by teenagers and young adults, the main audience for TikTok — one of the most popular apps in the 12-19 age group, according to the University of Zurich, also in Switzerland.
Digital addiction is one of the terms used to refer to addictions on electronics. You may also find this disorder being called internet or technology addiction. Remembering that, since the 90s, with the publication of the ICD-10, the WHO considers mental disorders “addictions” (a term no longer accepted).
The 30 vacancies offered by the clinic are filled and there is a waiting list of several weeks — vacancies should open at the end of April. The rehabilitation center filled up four weeks after it opened.
The hospitalized patients are between 18 and 25 years old. During treatment, young people learn to organize their daily tasks on their own, allocating alternatives to the consumption of social networks. The doctor even declares that TikTok is an “attention vacuum” — sucking the user into the app.
Lulzana Musliu, director of the Swiss NGO Pro Juventute (yes, Juventute), points out that social networks must recognize their responsibility and their addictive potential. Musliu also points out that it is necessary to teach good usage practices.
Regarding TikTok’s addictive potential, the European Union is investigating whether the Chinese social network violated legislation on the protection of minors and addictive design. The EU seeks to understand whether the app continues to use tactics that encourage addictive behaviors in users of the platform.
